System of road-drainage



(No Model.)

A. -MITCHELL. SYSTEM OF ROAD DRAINAGE.

N0. 442,072. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

WITNESSES:L C 41103 ATTORNEYS "r342 cums PETERS co., wm'o-uwownsmua'ron, u. c-

. provement on the line so a: of Fig. 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

ALEXANDER MITCHELL, OF TVALDRIP, TEXAS.

SYSTEM OF ROAD-DRAINAG E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,072, dated December2, 1890.

Application filed July 30,1890. $erial No. 360,358. (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MITCHELL, of Valdrip, (Lohn P. O.,) in thecounty of Mo- Oulloch and State of Texas, have invented a new andImproved System of Road-Drainage, of which the followingis a full,clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved system ofroad-drainage especially designed for use on dirt and other roads, andadapted to quickly dry the road after a heavy rainfall withoutdisturbing the road-bed.

The invention consists of a drain arranged longitudinally under theroad-bed and provided with outlet-pipes placed suitable distances apart,and each adapted to be closed at its outer end, and branch air-pipesalso extending from the said drain and adapted to be connected with anair-pu mp for pumping the air out of the drain.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the im- Fig. 2 is a similar view ofthe same on the line y y of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 isa broken plan view ofthe same.

Underneath the road-bed A, of dirt or other loose material, is arrangedlongitudinally in about the middle of the bed a drain 13, formed of aditch covered with tiles or made of porous drain-pipes, so that Watersaturating the road bedcan pass into the said drain. From the drainextend transversely, suitable distances apart, pipesC,leadingattheiroutercontracted ends into a ditch D, formed on one sideof the road-bed or leading from the road-bed to a convenient point ofdischarge. The outer end of this outlet-pipe C is adapted to be closedby a cap E or other suitable means. The outlet-pipes C are preferablyarranged alongthe road at the lowest place. Another series of pipes Fare also connected at suitable intervals with the drain 13, the saidpipes extending to one side of the road-bed, and provided at their outerends with pipes G reaching to the surface of the ground, and eachadapted to be closed bya cap II or other means. V hen the cap II isremoved, the outer end of the pipe G is adapted to be connected with anairpump of any approved construction. The airpipes F are preferablyarranged at the highest point of the road-bed.

After a heavy rainfall the road-bed A is more or less saturated withrain-water, and then, in order to quicklydry the road by this system ofdrainage, one or more operators, carrying an air-pump, attach the latterto the first air-pipe G after the cap II has been removed, the caps E onthe other pipes C being left on. By working the air-pump the air in thedrain B is discharged, so that a vacuum is formed therein, whereby thewater with which the road-bed A is saturated naturally flows into thedrain. B to accumulate therein. When the drain B is filled or partlyfilled with water, the operators remove the cap E of the next followingdischargepipe C, so that the water from the drain flows out into theditch to be discharged into the open country. This operation is repeatedon all the successive air-pipes F G and the outlet-pipes C, so that thewater in the road-bed is removed from the latter, and the road-bed iscomparatively dry.

Thus it will be seen that by a very simple device the surplus surfacewater can be removed from the road-bed in the course of a couple ofhours without the least injury to the road-bed.

The device may also be applied on farms for speedily drying sheep,cattle, and hog pens.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent l 1. A system of road-drainage comprising adrain arranged longitudinally under the roadbed, outlet-pipes placedsuitable distances apart and connected with the said drain, and branchair-pipes also connected with the said drain and adapted to be connectedat their outer ends with an air-pump for discharging the air from thesaid drain, substantially as shown and described.

2. A system of road-drainage comprising a drain arranged longitudinallyunder the roadan air-pump for pumping the air out of the drain,substantially as shown and described.

3. In a system of road-drainage, the combination, with a drain arrangedlongitudinally under the road-bed near its middle, of a branch air-pipeextending transversely and connected with the said drain," the outer endof the said air-pipe being adapted to connect 1: with an air-pum p todischarge the air from the drain, substantially as shown and described.

ALEXANDER MITCHELL. \Vitnesses:

WALTER ANDERSON, J NO. P. SHERIDAN.

